Heating season doesn’t last long here in Hammond, LA, and you’ll likely continue to be using your air conditioner well into the fall. But if yours is on your last legs, now may be an excellent time to consider a replacement, with temperatures falling and the need for constant air conditioning lessened. In fact, if you have a traditional air conditioner and are looking for ways to include a heating system without paying for a full-bore furnace, we strongly recommend installing a heat pump instead. What is a heat pump and how does it work? We’ve included a quick breakdown below.

Heat pumps make great purchases here in Springfield, LA precisely because they work in all seasons. You’ve likely had yours in heating mode for the last few months, but warm weather is returning, which means you’ll soon be moving it over to cooling mode if you haven’t done so already. Imagine the unpleasant shock when you switch your heat pump over and discover that no cool air is coming out of your system. This is the time of year when people often discover cooling issues with their heat pumps, and while a good repair service can fix the problem swiftly, it helps to understands what the causes may be. Here are a few of them for your edification.

Heat pumps are common means of keeping out mild winters at bay here in Hammond, LA. They use the same basic design as a central air conditioner, but with a twist: the cycle can be “reversed” to heat your home in the winter as well as cooling it in the summer. Heat pumps work extremely well in towns that don’t experience a lot of freezing in the winter, and can save you a great deal on monthly bills. But like any other system trouble can crop up from time to time. Take ice, for example. You may notice that ice forms on the coils of your system, which might not seem like a big deal since it involves cooling. In truth, however, ice one your system is a big problem, and unless you deal with it swiftly, it can lead to lasting damage to your pump. Understanding why there’s ice on your heat pump can help explain why it’s a problem.

A heat pump is a variant on the traditional air conditioner, but with a twist. Regular air conditioners cycle refrigerant through a closed system that cools the air in your Hammond, LA home, while releasing heated air as exhaust outside. Heat pumps simply allow that cycle to be reversed: releasing cool air outside while using the warm air to heat your home. They tend to cost more than other heating systems to install, and because they are more complex than others, repair bills can be more expensive too. So what’s the benefit to owning one? In point of fact there are a number, and they can easily offset the drawbacks. Here are some advantages of heat pumps that you ought to consider if you’re installing a new heating or air conditioning system.

We’re all used to traditional central air conditioning systems, and for the most part, they do a very good job. But they’re not the only type of system out there, and if you live in Hammond, LA, they might not even be the best system for you. Heat pumps, in particular, make an attractive alternative to traditional systems, and if you’re looking to consolidate heating and cooling into one set. Heat pumps work very well in our sultry southern climate, but are they right for your home? Here’s a quick primer to help you decide.

Summers don’t come any hotter than they do in Hammond, LA, where the Deep South brings both high temperatures and stifling humidity. Good air conditioning systems are an absolute necessity in such an environment, but you also need to ensure that your energy costs don’t run away with you in the process. Many local residents prefer to use a heat pump instead of a traditional air conditioner, since it is a strong money-saving alternative to home HVAC systems. But how does a heat pump work? More importantly, what’s the difference between a heat pump and a standard air conditioner? We’ve included a quick primer below.

A heat pump is an efficient system for both heating and cooling, and many homeowners take pride in their money-saving investment. That’s why it can be so frustrating when a reliable heating system won’t seem to work. With regular maintenance, heat pumps should run into few problems over time, but unfortunately repair needs are always a possibility. So what can you do when your heat pump system fails?

Steps to Take during a Heat Pump Failure

If your heat pump won’t turn on, the very first thing you should always check is the thermostat. The thermostat communicates with the heat pump that it is time to turn on or shut off as needed. Check to make sure the settings you’ve programmed indicate that your heat pump is meant to switch on at that time. Most importantly, check to make sure it is in the proper mode: heating or cooling. Heat pumps have a reversing valve that allow them to easily change over from heating to cooling mode, and this valve must be activated for the cycle to kick in. If one setting works but not the other, it could be a reversing valve that needs replacement.

Unfortunately, if this doesn’t solve the problem, there’s little you can do on your own. Any major repair is best left to a professional in the heating and cooling industry. Trained technicians can assess the trouble and recommend any number of solutions, from adding refrigerant to replacing the compressor.

How to Prevent Repairs in the Future

One of the best steps you can take in keeping this problem from occurring in the future is preventive maintenance. Most technicians recommend that you schedule maintenance once or twice a year so that technicians can clean coils, adjust settings and refrigerant levels, tighten electrical connections, and let you know of any minor repair needs ahead of time.

A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning offers a money-saving maintenance program for twice yearly tune ups and discounts on service fees. Call us today if you’re in need of maintenance or heating service in Covington.

With the name “heat pump” the confusing thing can be how these devices offer cooling and not just heating. Plus, they don’t pump heat at all – they transfer it. So how do heat pumps offer your home both heating and cooling? It’s pretty simple and depends on a couple of key items, but first, it’s important to know how a heat pump works.

Moving Heat Around

As mentioned above, heat pumps work by transferring heat from one location to another; refrigerant helps facilitate this transfer process. During the summer months, a heat pump absorbs the heat in your home and transfers it outside; in the winter months, the heat pump absorbs the heat in the surrounding air, concentrates it, then distributes it to your living spaces. Heat pumps don’t generate heating or cooling, which is where they can be a little confusing to some. So why can heat pumps do this and air conditioners can’t? A component called a reversing valve.

The Reversing Valve

The reversing valve is a component that changes the direction in which the refrigerant in the system is flowing. When the refrigerant can change direction, the device can change between heating and cooling. The initiation of the mode change starts with pressing a button on your dual-mode thermostat. An electronic component attached to the reversing valve known as a solenoid begins the process of moving the sliding mechanism in the solenoid to the opposite side; once the slide starts moving, refrigerant flows into the valve, finishing the rest of the push to the other position. The positioning of heating or cooling within the valve is up to the manufacturer, so valves will differ. The important thing is that the valve slides from one position to another, otherwise it can get stuck.

“Stuck” Valves

One of the more common problems that can develop with a reversing valve is that it becomes stuck; the valve can become stuck in a mode or stuck in-between a mode. If the solenoid is the reason for the immobility, it can be repaired, but if the valve is stuck due to something like a refrigerant leak, it will need to be replaced.

For the warm summers and mild winters of Metairie, LA, a heat pump offers a number of attractive features. Heat pumps combine the power of an air conditioner and heater in one unit, which makes them automatically beneficial as two-in-one systems. However, heat pumps are not always the best choice for a particular region (unless installed as a hybrid with a back-up heater), and even in regions where they are practical, they aren’t always the best choice for an individual home.

We’ll take a more detailed look at heat pump operation to see how practical they are for Metairie, LA heating and if your home specifically will benefit from their advantages. For more information, as well as to schedule an appointment to discuss heat pump installation, contact A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning today.

Heat pumps: How they work, what they can do for you

A heat pump uses the same operating principle as an air conditioner: refrigerant circulates through the unit, going through a cycle of evaporation and condensation to move heat from one location and puts it in another. The heat pump adds the ability to switch the direction the refrigerant flows, using a reversing valve. This means that the heat pump can both remove heat from the indoors and put it outdoors (air conditioning) and remove heat from the outdoors and put it indoors (heating).

If you’re immediate thought is, “How does a heat pump extract heat from the cold outdoors to warm up a home during the winter?”, then you’ve latched onto one of the potential drawbacks of a heat pump. In general, a heat pump works less effectively in heating mode than in cooling mode. However, heat pumps only experience difficulties with efficiency when the outdoor temperature drops below freezing. Otherwise, there is a sufficient amount of heat even in cool weather to provide enough warmth for the indoors. In a place like Metairie, which rarely experiences extreme cold, the warmth from a heat pump is enough to keep most homes warm.

Heat pumps will save you money on heating compared to a furnace. Heat pumps only use a small amount of electricity to run their mechanical components to move heat from outdoors to indoors. Furnaces, on the other hand, must expend a large amount of fuel to create heat. Switching from a furnace to a heat pump in an area without extreme colds can result in savings of up to 30% off heating bills each year.

Is a heat pump right for your home?

You will need to have heat pump installers to help you answer this question. The insulation of your home, its size, access to power, and other factors will determine how efficiently a heat pump will work for your cooling and heating in Metairie, LA. Call up A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning to get started: we’ll help you decide if you’ll benefit from a heat pump, and provide you a quality installation.